A distress signal supposedly send off by a ship was finally traced to a scrapyard in Belfast.

According to a spokesman for Ofcom, the agency responsible for monitoring all radio broadcasts and for investigating cases of interference, the beacon was found in a mountain of scrapped fridges and TVs after the mayday was picked up by receivers on the Isle of Man.

The signal was tracked by satellite from a scrap-metal yard in north Belfast last week after it was moved by truck to one in Queen's Island in the docks area.

Searchers say they found the beacon in the middle of a 20ft pile of old electrical equipment.

The spokesman added that under normal circumstances, a rescue helicopter is scrambled when a distress signal is picked up, but RAF Kinloss could tell the signal was on dry land.

After the device was found, Philip Morgan, spectrum manager for Ofcom Northern Ireland, said they have to turn it off because it is interfering with the CAA's radio system.

"It was a bit like looking for a needle in a haystack, but using our radio tracking equipment, and with the help of the scrapyard's crane, we were able to find the beacon very quickly and disable it - within a couple of hours of it going off," said Morgan.